Thursday, November 5, 2009

Don't Mess with the Support Staff...

or they will mess you back.

So I've been working on this massive digitizing project for Curmudgeon (also known in this blog as "Pesticle"), and have delivered many, many images. So NOW he decides he doesn't like the way I'm delivering, via CD, which is the only way we currently have. Says there are too many images on the CDs, he can't find anything. Nevermind that I include all data in a spreadsheet so he can find said images, but hey, when I mention the data, he says, "Oh I don't need the data, I know what everything is." Whatever.

He wants them broken down by categories, Like all the Parthenon images on one disc, all of the Jupiter Capitolinus on one, etc. I get that. But I also get that he requested literally over 10,000 images and needs them by December, and if I'm to have this done in a timely fashion, I can't take the time to catalogue and re-organize all the images in little chunks and spoon feed them like baby food. Dude.

I reassure him that we are working on a new web-based delivery system and once we get over this bump, it will all be better.

He says, "I don't care about a delivery system, once you get these all scanned for me I won't need you or a delivery system."

Oh no he di-int!

I calmly looked at him and said, "you really don't think you'll need anymore images?" to which he replied, "oh no I can get beautiful Botticellis online, so why do I need you?" I said, "you can get Botticellis, but you can't get "Villa Papyri," and he countered with "no, but you're scanning them for me so I won't need it."

Dude.

I've spent the last year Photoshopping almost 10,000 scanned crappy 30 year old slide images and you're gonna say that to me?! Wow. My first impulse was to say something like then I guess its ok if I delete the rest of these bad images because you can easily replace them with images from the internet (HAA! I'd like to see him try!!!), but I decided it is more prudent to consider this the light-bulb moment, like when you wake up one day and realize that your boyfriend is a giant asshole and why hadn't you seen this before when its so clear! Now I've always known he was an ass, but I've decided that he no longer deserves my quality services. Apparently he feels that I am vulnerable, he has been suspiciously nice lately so I was prepared for the attack. Such a little weasel. Don't fuck with the person who is working on your project!!! What an idiot!

As of this moment, I am no longer making silk purses of these pigs ear images, I am hammering through the remaining sets to GET THEM DONE, then I'm gonna burn so many fricken CDs he'll regret the day he ever set foot into my office. If I'm feeling really ornery, I might not include the data! Ha!! And when I'm done, I will deliver them in one giant heap on his desk!!! Oh yes!

Then I'll get back to work on more productive things, like serving the faculty who actually appreciate me!!!